Fourteen productions will be staged at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta, the Ministry for National Heritage said on Monday. It said that these productions form part of the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) Film Festival which will be staged over six days from the 24th to the 29th of September.
The Ministry said that these fourteen productions are intended to celebrate diversity in all its forms, and continued that twelve members and partners are taking part in the film festival.
Those members are the embassies of Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain, along with the Alliance Francaise, the Maltese Council for the Arts, the British Council, the Representation of the European Commission, and the Istituti Italiano di Cultura.
National Heritage Minister Owen Bonnici said that this is a special year for Malta in regard to EUNIC, as the Director of Funds and Strategy of the Maltese Council for the Arts Mary Ann Cauchi was appointed as Director of the EUNIC Board. Bonnici said that this is a result of the council's commitment to international cultural collaborations and inclusiveness. He continued that Malta has become a European leader in LGBTIQ+ rights, stemming from the work done in equality at both the European and local levels.
"This was an extraordinary achievement that did not come easily," the Minister remarked. "The status quo has been challenged and defeated. It took courage and perseverance." He said that there is still more work to be done, but that a lot has been achieved in regard to LGBTIQ+ rights. "We have become a beacon of hope and equality around the world."
Malta's production for the film festival is entitled 'Carmen'. The Ministry said that the production is inspired by true events and is set in Malta. It continued that the production is about the titular character Carmen, who has been taking care of her brother since she was sixteen years old. Her brother is a priest at the local church. The Ministry said that Carmen is beginning a new life now that she is almost fifty years old, and brings colour to the villagers' lives while facing her past.